Designation of Provider Centre for SDR

University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust are thrilled
to have been awarded the designation of provider centre for SDR,
following NHS England's announcement on 17th July 2014.
We are working to clarify the details of this in terms of
limitations on the number of patients we can assess and treat, and
we will be writing to our patients' families to update them as soon
as these details are confirmed. We thank you for your
patience.

More information:

Bristol Royal Hospital for Children has been announced as one of
five regional centres to evaluate a procedure that can help some
children with cerebral palsy to walk.

Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) is an extremely complex
procedure that can help children with particularly severe muscle
stiffness (spasticity) in their legs to improve their walking. The
procedure involves opening up the bones of the spine in the lower
back to operate on the nerves, which could potentially help relieve
spasticity.

NHS England is commissioning an evaluation of the success of the
procedure at five hospitals across the UK. The programme, which
will run over two to three years, aims to gather vital evidence on
the effectiveness of the procedure. Children aged between three and
10 who suffer stiffness in their lower limbs, and meet the clinical
criteria for treatment, can access SDR as part of the
initiative.

Bristol Royal Hospital for Children's expert paediatric
neurosurgery team includes two neurosurgeons who can carry out the
operation, as well as a physiotherapy team that carries out the
vital post-operation rehabilitation needed for the procedure to be
effective.

Dr Ian Pople, consultant paediatric neurosurgeon at Bristol
Royal Hospital for Children, said: "We believe SDR can make a
substantial difference to the lives of some children with cerebral
palsy. The team here has a strong track record with SDR, having
performed around 90 of these operations since 2011. We're looking
forward to building on that experience and contributing to the
trial, as well as improving the mobility, independence and quality
of life for children with cerebral palsy who meet the clinical
criteria for the treatment."

Dr Bryony Strachan, clinical chair for women's and children's
services at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UH
Bristol), said: "We're delighted that Bristol Children's Hospital
has been chosen as one of five centres to trial SDR. The recent
centralisation of children's specialist services at the BCH brought
the paediatric neurosurgery team here, and it's fantastic that
their expertise and experience in performing SDR has been
recognised and will be put to such good use in this
evaluation."